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Thread: Borodin: Polovetsian Dance (Stranger In Paradise)

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    Registered User Martin Jonas's Avatar
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    Default Borodin: Polovetsian Dance (Stranger In Paradise)

    Alexander Borodin (1833-1887): Prince Igor
    Act 2, No 17, Polovetsian Dance With The Choir/Gliding Dance of the Maidens


    This short melody from Borodin's opera "Prince Igor" is probably his most famous composition, and later was adapted for the song "Stranger In Paradise" from the musical Kismet.

    In the original opera, this was sung by a female chorus, as a duet between the soprano and alto sections. My adaptation for mandolin and octave mandolin (mandola) uses Borodin's original vocal parts verbatim, in the original keys of A major and F# minor, with tenor guitar chords adapted from a piano reduction of the score. I attach a PDF leadsheet with both parts and chord symbols, adapted from a transcription of the vocal parts I found on Musescore (Link).

    1898 Giuseppe Vinaccia mandolin
    Mid-Missouri M-111 octave mandolin
    Vintage Viaten tenor guitar



    Martin

    PS: For those who don't like my home demos, here is a very lush version by the Toronto Mandolin Orchestra, with Iraida Erokhina on solo domra: Link
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Borodin Polovetsian Dance.pdf  

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    Default Re: Borodin: Polovetsian Dance (Stranger In Paradise)

    Nice one Martin, I do like the voice of your Vinaccia. Now if you just provide a source for Dancing Maidens, I'll be set.
    - Jeremy

    Wot no catchphrase?

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  5. #3
    Registered User Martin Jonas's Avatar
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    Default Re: Borodin: Polovetsian Dance (Stranger In Paradise)

    Quote Originally Posted by derbex View Post
    Nice one Martin, I do like the voice of your Vinaccia. Now if you just provide a source for Dancing Maidens, I'll be set.
    Thanks, Jeremy! I'm just getting reaquainted with that Vinaccia, after I had loaned it out for a few years. It's a lovely bowlback, and quite different from either my Embergher or Ceccherini.

    Dancing Maidens shouldn't be a problem in the wilds of Essex...

    Martin
    Last edited by Martin Jonas; Nov-29-2019 at 8:02am.

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    Registered User Martin Jonas's Avatar
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    Default Re: Borodin: Polovetsian Dance (Stranger In Paradise)

    I have re-recorded my Borodin adaptation, this time with video, laying down the mandolin part first and adding the mandola and tenor guitar later. Same arrangement, but giving all the melody to the mandolin and the harmony to the mandola.

    Mid-Missouri M-0W mandolin
    Mid-Missouri M-111 octave mandolin
    Vintage Viaten tenor guitar



    Martin

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